I know it’s been a while since the last update, but I haven’t forgotten about you. The last several weeks have been spent on non-stop editing of the iZOMBIE pilot, which is now complete, and — as of yesterday — has been picked up as a series. Next week, I’ll find out whether it’ll debut in the fall or as a mid-season replacement. Either way, we’ll be getting to work on it soon.

But now that I have a little bit more time, I wanted to send another update. I know that you received a message from Customer Support yesterday; if you’re still waiting on any of your rewards, I hope that you took the time to read it.

In case you didn’t, let me give you the quick version:

If you’re still missing or having problems with any of your Kickstarter rewards, please email info@theveronicamarsmovie.com ASAP and let them know.

After June 1, we won’t be able to help with unclaimed rewards, offer replacements, or issue any additional refunds – and we want to make sure you’re taken care of.

Now that we’ve cleared that up, let’s cover a few other updates.

THE DVD & BLU-RAY

At this point, I hope that most of you — or at least, those of you who pledged at $50 and up — have received the promised DVD and/or Blu-ray versions of Veronica Mars. (If your rewards didn’t include a physical copy of the movie, it’s also available to purchase now, in almost all countries.)

German and Austrian Backers: I promise, if we were allowed to send your copies of the movie now, we would. The truth is, getting a German theatrical release required some different timing restrictions for releasing the DVD. You’ll receive your reward copies as soon as they are available for sale in your countries — as of now, I believe that will be around July 24. In the meantime, hopefully your digital copies will make it easier to wait.

“BY THE FANS” – OUR BEHIND-THE-SCENES DOC

Even without the DVD or Blu-Ray, I’m hoping most of you have already had the chance to watch the movie. When your DVD and Blu-ray arrive, however, I encourage you to spend a little time to watch By The Fans, our behind-the-scenes documentary about the Kickstarter campaign, the making of the movie, and — most of all — your role in making that possible.

We began shooting By The Fans on March 13, 2013 — the same morning we launched the Kickstarter campaign — and continued until just after our visit to San Diego Comic-Con in July. If you’ve been reading these updates, you’ll already have a good idea of what was happening behind-the-scenes, but there’s a lot more in the documentary.

If you’ve watched it, we’d love to hear what you thought. Let us know in the comments.

On a related note:

A NEW KICKSTARTER, FROM THE GUY WHO BROUGHT YOU “BY THE FANS”...

If you enjoy By The Fans, most of the credit goes to the talented young man who directed and co-edited it, Viet Nguyen.

Some of you might know that my relationship with Viet actually started more than twenty years ago in Austin, where I was his high school broadcast journalism advisor. Later, after he graduated from UT Film School, I hired him as a post-production PA on the first season of Veronica Mars. From there, Viet climbed to Assistant Editor on Veronica Mars, and we hired him as a full-fledged editor on Party Down. When we got together to create our Kickstarter launch video a couple years ago, Viet was the one who shot and edited it, and over the last several weeks, he worked with me to edit the iZOMBIE pilot.

What you probably don’t know is that Viet might also be responsible for my entire writing career. While I was his teacher, he secretly cut a video nominating me for Channel One Teacher of the Year. I didn't get the award, but Channel One offered me a job, and I moved out to Los Angeles. I quit my band in order to make the move, and I filled the creative void by writing my first novel, Rats Saw God, that year. I was 28 at the time.

So if you enjoyed By The Fans — or, in a sense, anything I’ve ever written — you can thank Viet. And if you’re not sure how to thank him, here’s my suggestion:

I already did. It’s based on two amazing short film thrillers that Viet has directed. I love both Crush the Skullshortfilms. If he can do these with a few hundred dollars, he'll kick a lot of ass with a few thousand dollars.

A GUIDE TO NAME DROPPING

In one of my last updates, I pointed out the scene in Veronica Mars which featured the “cameo appearance” of our $10,000 backer, Steven Dengler. Today, I thought I’d share another fun easter egg — or six easter eggs -- and reveal the Kickstarter backers whose names were included in the movie.

(Minor spoilers follow, if you haven't seen the movie yet.)

BACKER #1. When we first see Piz, he’s working on a story for This American Life about a struggling artist named Zhi Howes. (This was probably a surprise to Zhi, since she is nine years old. The request to include her name came from her parents. I enjoyed the idea that a nine-year-old might already be considered passé.)

BACKER #2. The second backer’s name turns up when Veronica is advising Logan on his choice of legal representation. We never meet her preferred lawyer on screen, but his name is Jackson Frederick.

BACKER #3. Just a few minutes later, Veronica and Logan get a drink at The Beachcomber during karaoke night. The three Canadians who perform just before Ruby Jetson? Art Tebbel and the Mounties.

BACKER #4. This one posed a challenge, because our backer - Shauna Isobel Claiborne - wanted us to include her middle name. I was happy to try, but had trouble finding somewhere that it sounded natural to speak a full name out loud. Instead, Shauna’s name appears as one of Veronica’s old aliases when she pulls out her PI supplies. (And, since she never got to hear her name in the movie, we sent Shauna the ID card as a souvenir.)

BACKER #5. When Veronica, Mac and Wallace arrive at the Neptune High Reunion, Wallace sees an attractive single prospect named Alexis Link across the room, and remembers a deal that they made ten years earlier. (In a fun coincidence, Alexis herself appears in the reunion scene as an extra, but — to Wallace’s disappointment — ends up on Dick’s arm instead. Dick hands her his belt flask just before joining the brawl at the bar.)

BACKER #6. During the Neptune Reunion award ceremony, Madison — in a rare moment of sincerity — awards the “Biggest Success Story” to Patti Jackson, "for starting her own line of natural hair care products.” I found it interesting that this line often got a laugh from audiences. In real life, Patti Jackson did exactly that, launching her own line of all-natural salon products. (Fun fact: Patti also appears in the movie, when Logan and Veronica meet at the airport.)

A FINAL WORD ON TEAM T-SHIRTS.

If you liked the Team T-Shirts we released on CafePress but were holding out for TEAM VERONICA or TEAM KEITH, you’re in luck: I'm told that we've now added those to the official selection on CafePress.

And, as before, the team at CafePress are offering a 15% discount on all Veronica Mars merchandise for the next week, if you use the code PIRATES when you check out.

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That’s all for this time, but we’re not at the end just yet. Expect one or two more updates before the end of the month, with some behind-the-scenes information that we couldn’t share until the movie was released.

And remember: if you’re missing any of your rewards, please email info@theveronicamarsmovie.com right now and let Customer Support know, so that we can fix it before the deadline on June 1.

Comments

Kevin Potasky: There's one more update (click "Next update >" on this page) that's dated June 30, 2014, but that's the last one. There's a chance we'll see something else at some point, but it could also be the last update for a loooooong while.

I am still in SHOCK I made the cut for the By the Fans documentary!! For two reasons, 1.) I love VMars and that is freaking amazing b/c this was a movie I had wanted for SO long. 2.) I can't believe I said "mid-stream" and talked about running out of the bathroom. Hahaha #awkwardclassic Great job Viet, Rob and clan :)

I love everything about Veronica Mars and by being a backer I truly felt that I made a difference and that I was getting first dibs on everything.

Since I like to own movies, not just digital copies of them, I made sure to pledge enough money so that I would get one. I was especially excited since it in the pledge description said that the "physical DVD of the movie ... will include a documentary on the making of the Veronica Mars movie and the history-making Kickstarter campaign, plus other bonus features not available on the digital download." I was so happy and hoping for the other bonus features, like a gag reel and other fun clips and such from behind the scenes, so imagine my surprise when my DVD only included the "By the fans: the making of the Veronica Mars movie". Do not get me wrong, I am very happy about the movie being made and my chance to be a part of that process, but I am really disappointed that I did not receive any other bonus features than the "BTF-featurette". It makes me really sad as well since it seems that there was more bonus features included on the Blu-Ray. I am really looking forward to an update where I get an explanation for this!

Other than that, I am hoping for more Veronica Mars. Soon. I am still a marshmallow.

Addendum: this was only my second ever project backed on KickStarter, and I was still a tad wary (especially after the first movie I backed had, uh, teething troubles -- still haven't received THAT DVD yet, although I believe it's on the way!) If I'd been a little more familiar with KS I'd probably have upped my pledge here to get the Blu-Ray ... but, c'est la vie! Now I'll just have to go buy the BD locally! :-)

Still missing my BD copy of the movie. I have emailed info@theveronicamarsmovie.com but heard nothing. Has anyone else gotten a response if they've had trouble with a missing component from their pledge?

Thanks for sharings these interesting details about the movie. I received the DVD and the Blue Ray yesterday and i was really happily surprised to find that it was the French version. I only watched it on VOD in english. So, i will apreciate it even better now (even if original versions are usually better). This was also a good news to see that the bonus were subbed in French too :) This was my best Kickstarter ever. You guys are the best ;)
Your new show iZombie seems really interesting, a Veronica Mars who eats brains, i can't wait to see that.

If I could, I would back a #2 and I would give three times what I gave last time. I cannot get enough Veronica Mars. The cast and crew were so classy in the BTF documentary. I can;t say enough good things about this movie. I have been buying copies for family and friends to boost sales in the hopes that there will be a sequel.

My sister was out of the country with limited Internet access for the past year and a half, so it was really fun watching the documentary with her and sort of re-living the joy that this whole VMars/Kickstarter/movie experience has been. This has just been so cool. I was so jealous of the fans who had the money to throw down to be there in person, but even with my meager donation I felt like I was a part of it. I have such a special fondness for this fandom and this cast (+Rob :)) and I don't think anything else will ever be able to quite compete. I just hope we get a repeat of some kind in the future. Whatever anyone tied to Veronica Mars does in their separate careers, you all have a supporter in me for life. Much love and appreciation to everyone involved.

Finallysae By the Fans and I loved it! It literally made me cry because I got to see how hard the cast and crew worked to make this film for us. I got to see how appreciated we are as fans and it showed me that they all loved it just as much as I did. It really made me happy seeing that Kristen and everyone knows that we are out there and that they love Veronica Mars just as much as I do. I don't think I ever saw a fandom with such dedication and such a loving environment. It really means a lot and makes me feel like I am a part of something special. Thank you do much for giving this to us and to me. It really just makes me even more proud to that yes I am a marshmallow and yes I would do anything for Veronica Mars. Thank you for allowing me to be apart in something so great! ~ Angela Sciarappa

Thank you thank you thank you all for making this the best and most awesome movie ever. I know the digital copy issue has been hard but there was no way to know in advance that this was going to be such a problem. Instead of dashing this victorious moment let us all remember how amazing it is we were able to get so much more then anyone expected. A few hick ups along the way are nothing to the overall experience. I am so happy to have been included in all this. Thank you

Superbacker

@Shannon, you can see the gorilla reveal here: http://race.theveronicamarsmovie.com/ and other bonus footage on the content unlock progress bar at the top. I swear there were more than three videos back in April/March. Ok, found them. To see the other 12, click on the "Join The Race" and click the "share" button next to "Exclusive Veronica Mars Video". The content you can see will depend on what was unlocked in your area of the world. Unless they've all been unlocked by now, I don't know. I really wish these videos had been included on the DVD, heard they were on the Blu-Ray (not certain), but I guess seeing them a few times on my computer is enough.

I was wondering where the names in the movie were coming from, especially Shauna Isobel Claiborne's, because of course I paused the screen to check out Veronica's loot as she was going through it. I didn't recognize the name on the ID badge as being previously used as one of Veronica's aliases, so that confused me. It's cool to see that you used backers' names in the movie.

Just finished VM-BTF...can't imagine how much fun it must've been for all the cast and crew! An d the KS fans attending (wish i had been able to contribute more...). So glad was able to see in Boston on the big screen with other VM fans. So cool seeing Tina, Chris, Francis, Percy, ( donuts for,the fans...brilliant!) and of course Kristen and Jason...You all seem like genuine, great folks...'good people' as we say here....Wish i could share a beer with each and every one of you! Loved the update videos as each actor was announced as participating in the movie...kinda sad that the Blu Ray marks the end of the project, tho i already read the VM book! Hope you each continue to have successful and happy lives, wherever the future leadsyou , each and every one! And thank you for a great and wonderful movie!

I loved the documentary! I have been thoroughly impressed with this whole experience. Thank you for the updates and giving us such a unique experience. I only wish I could've afforded more to be able to have met you all! Only question I have, I thought we were going to get to see when the head came off the dancing gorilla.... :(

"In the meantime, hopefully your digital copies will make it easier to wait"? Sorry, Rob, I know you couldn't do anything about it, but that sounds like a really bad joke to me! The so-called digital copy we got is only playable on Android and iOS devices (and, apparently, can only be downloaded up to five times) or as a SD version on a computer, but not on HDTVs or gaming consoles. And unlike most backers, we didn't even have the option of buying the movie on iTunes or Amazon. So no, this absolutely useless digital copy doesn't make it easier to wait at all! :-(
It also doesn't help that we could easily import the Blu-Ray or DVD from other countries, making those restrictions even more ridiculous than they already are in this day and age. *sighs*

As much as I hate having to write this: If I had known about this in advance, I probably would have used my parents' address in the US or simply backed at a lower level...